Von dem Teutschen Landt. / Contrafehtung der Statt Löuen.

Title

Von dem Teutschen Landt. / Contrafehtung der Statt Löuen.

Bird's-eye view of the city of Leuven, Flanders region in Belgium. Below, a city index and a description of the city. Above the view, a tower with an iron cage.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.